Venice Biennale
20.04.2024-24.11.2024, Venice, Italy
The Venice Biennale, also known as La Biennale di Venezia in Italian, stands as a globally renowned and prestigious cultural event. Held biennially in the captivating city of Venice, Italy, since its inception in 1895, this international art exhibition spans contemporary art, architecture, cinema, dance, music, and theater. It serves as a vibrant hub for creative expression, drawing together artists, curators, and art enthusiasts from around the world.
This event not only provides a platform for established artists but also serves as a launchpad for emerging talents, fostering dialogue and pushing the boundaries of artistic innovation.
At the heart of the Biennale is the Giardini della Biennale, a lush park hosting permanent national pavilions dedicated to individual countries. Additionally, various venues across the city, including the historic Arsenale and other culturally rich spaces, are utilized to accommodate a multitude of artistic expressions.
Caspar David Friedrich: Infinite Landscapes
19.04.2024-04.08.2024, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
To celebrate the 250th birthday of Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the Alte Nationalgalerie in collaboration with the Kupferstichkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin is preparing a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the eminent German Romantic painter. Featuring around 60 paintings and 50 drawings sourced from Germany and beyond, including internationally acclaimed masterpieces, this exhibition has been eagerly awaited in Berlin. The city played a significant role in elevating Friedrich’s fame during his lifetime, and the Nationalgalerie currently houses one of the world’s largest collections of Friedrich’s paintings.
The primary focus of the exhibition is on highlighting the Nationalgalerie’s role in reigniting interest in Friedrich’s art during the early 20th century. After a period of obscurity in the latter half of the 19th century, the Nationalgalerie honored Friedrich in 1906 with the groundbreaking “German Centenary Exhibition,” featuring 93 paintings and drawings. This recognition positioned Friedrich as an exceptional painter of light and atmosphere and a trailblazer in modernism.
Another aspect of the exhibition explores pairs of Friedrich’s paintings, each expressing distinct perspectives and the theme of transformation. Notably, the iconic pair Monk by the Sea and Abbey in an Oak Forest symbolizes the Nationalgalerie’s distinctive collection. The third segment unveils the latest research findings on Friedrich’s painting techniques.
In the commemorative year of Caspar David Friedrich in 2024, the Berlin exhibition is part of a series of thematically diverse showcases at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Alte Nationalgalerie, and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism
26.03.2024-14.07.2024, Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
A century and a half ago, on April 15, 1874, the inaugural Impressionist exhibition unfolded in Paris. Fueled by a fervor for independence, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley, and Cézanne boldly broke free from conventional constraints, orchestrating their own exhibition and marking the birth of Impressionism. In commemoration of this historic event, the Musée d’Orsay is unveiling a curated collection of approximately 130 works. This exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the pivotal moment recognized as the catalyst for avant-garde movements.
“Paris 1874” endeavors to chronicle the rise of an artistic movement within a swiftly evolving world. The exhibition delves into the circumstances that prompted 31 artists (only seven of whom are now globally recognized) to unite and showcase their creations collectively. Set against the backdrop of a post-war atmosphere following the Franco-German War of 1870 and a tumultuous civil war, artists found themselves compelled to reevaluate their art and embark on new artistic directions.
Frans Hals
16.01.2024-09.06.2024, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The exhibition focuses on the distinctive style of Frans Hals, characterized by its unrestrained energy and liveliness. This style not only garnered him acclaim and prestige but also positioned him as a precursor to impressionism. Featuring approximately fifty works, this display provides visitors with the opportunity to witness the evolution of Hals as an artist. Painting by painting, one can observe his departure from tradition and the growing confidence he exudes as he develops his unique approach. Concurrently, the exhibition offers a captivating portrayal of the historical context in which he thrived. Hals’s mastery of “bourgeois realism” provides a remarkable glimpse into the lives of his patrons and the prevailing norms, values, and traditions of his era.
Matisse: Invitation to the Voyage
22.09.2024-25.01.2025, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Switzerland
In the upcoming autumn of 2024, the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen will host the first retrospective of Henri Matisse in Switzerland and the German-speaking world in nearly two decades. Showcasing approximately 80 pieces sourced from major European and American museums as well as private collections, the exhibition aims to illuminate the evolution and richness of the artist’s pioneering body of work.
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) stands as one of the most renowned figures in modern art. His groundbreaking contributions have left an indelible mark on successive generations of artists, spanning from his contemporaries to the present. By liberating color from its traditional confines and simplifying forms, Matisse redefined the essence of painting and infused art with an unprecedented sense of weightlessness.
Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain, 1520-1920
16.05.2024-13.10.2024, Tate Britain, London
This exhibition spans four centuries, tracing the transformative journeys of women evolving into professional artists. From the Tudor era to the First World War, trailblazers like Mary Beale, Angelica Kauffman, Elizabeth Butler, and Laura Knight carved out a revolutionary artistic path for successive generations of women. Defying societal norms, they challenged expectations by pursuing lucrative careers as artists and participating in public exhibitions.
Showcasing over 150 pieces, the exhibition dismantles prevailing stereotypes that have historically marginalized women artists as mere amateurs. Fueled by determination and a refusal to be confined, these women fearlessly delved into subjects traditionally reserved for male artists, including history pieces, battle scenes, and nude portrayals.
The showcase sheds light on how these artists actively advocated for equal opportunities in art training and academy memberships. They not only broke through barriers but also overcame numerous challenges to redefine the role of women in the art world.
Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers
14.09.2024-19.01.2025, The National Gallery, London
The exhibition unites a collection of your favorite Van Gogh paintings from around the world, including some seldom displayed publicly. These artworks will be complemented by his remarkable drawings.
During a brief two-year period in the south of France, Van Gogh underwent a revolutionary transformation in his artistic style, creating a harmonious blend of poetic color and texture. Influenced by poets, writers, and fellow artists, we consider this period in Arles and Saint-Rémy as a pivotal phase in his career. Motivated by a desire to narrate stories, he crafted a landscape of poetic imagination and romantic love on a grand scale.
Käthe Kollwitz
31.03.2024-20.07.2024, MoMA, New York
In the early 20th century, a period marked by artistic experimentation with abstraction, Käthe Kollwitz remained unwavering in her commitment to art with a social conscience. Focused on themes of motherhood, sorrow, and resistance, she brought attention to the struggles of the working class and emphasized the crucial role of the female perspective in instigating meaningful change. Asserting her duty to advocate for others, she stated, “I have no right to withdraw from the responsibility of being an advocate. It is my duty to vocalize the sufferings of humanity, the incessant burdens piled mountain-high.” This retrospective not only signifies the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to Kollwitz at a New York museum but also stands as the most extensive presentation of her work in the United States in over three decades.
Originating from the Prussian city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), Kollwitz resided in Berlin during a tumultuous period in German history, characterized by the upheavals of industrialization and the traumas of two world wars. Despite initial training as a painter, she swiftly transitioned to drawing and printmaking, recognizing these mediums as the most impactful for social critique. The exhibition encompasses approximately 120 drawings, prints, and sculptures sourced from public and private collections in North America and Europe. Displaying her political activism, notable projects will be featured, while preparatory studies and working proofs will underscore her meticulous and ever-searching creative process.
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